Chapter 22: The Golden Immunity Medallion

Zhang Liang intended to consult Lu Xuan. Liu Bang had initially considered visiting Liu Heng, but dismissed the thought after a moment's reflection. There was no rush, after all.

He was currently hesitating over whether to disclose the sequence of future events to his ministers: the premature death of the Crown Prince Liu Ying, the imperial grandson's policy of weakening the feudal lords, and the eventual ascension of his fourth son, Liu Heng, to the throne. While he believed in the information, human nature was, in the end, unpredictable.

Ultimately, Liu Bang decided to be forthright. He did not yet know how to handle these matters, and he hoped to leverage the collective wisdom of his ministers to discuss a solution.

The Emperor sat on his high throne and concisely recounted the future events as described by Lu Xuan. The gathered officials were shaken, their minds reeling with shock and disbelief.

Could such things truly happen in the future? The Crown Prince would die young, and the Emperor would choose not to pass the throne to another son, but to the imperial grandson? This would lead to a lack of foundation and prestige for the young successor, who would then view the princes as threats and initiate a campaign to strip them of their power. And the fourth prince would become emperor!

The ministers remained silent for a long time. The information was too sudden and too overwhelming; every point was of critical importance and required time to digest.

Finally, Xiao He stepped forward and bowed. "Your Majesty, the primary concern now is to treat the Crown Prince’s illness. If the Crown Prince recovers, the issue of weakening the feudal lords will naturally never arise."

If the Crown Prince did not die prematurely due to illness, he would at least live into middle age, by which time he would have established enough influence and capability that he might not need to resort to weakening the lords.

However, Zhang Liang offered a different perspective. He glanced at Xiao He and said calmly, "This has little to do with whether the Crown Prince’s illness can be cured. As long as the imperial grandson is the one to inherit the throne, and as long as the power of the princes remains a threat to the central government, the imperial grandson will eventually move to strip them of their power, just as he did in the original trajectory of history. The root cause lies in the fact that the princes hold both military and political power."

Zhang Liang’s words were, as always, piercingly accurate. In truth, this had nothing to do with the Crown Prince's early death or the temperament of the imperial grandson; it was a hidden contradiction sown at the very founding of the Han Dynasty through the enfeoffment of the princes. While the Emperor was alive, the conflict would remain dormant, but once he passed, it would inevitably ignite. Even if the princes harbored no intent to rebel, the Emperor would still be wary of them. And even if the Emperor were not wary, there would inevitably be some among the princes who would grow restless. It was a catalyst for disaster.

In fact, the ministers had realized this potential outcome back when Liu Bang enfeoffed his eldest son, Liu Fei, as the Prince of Qi and granted him control over the military and government of his fiefdom. They had foreseen the end, but they dared not speak of it. The vast empire had been won by the Emperor himself; how could the royal kin not be granted fiefs? Only now, with the opportunity provided by Lu Xuan’s revelations, did they finally dare to voice their concerns.

"Forget it, let us discuss this later," Liu Bang waved his hand. In truth, his greater internal conflict concerned his fourth son, Liu Heng; he did not know how to face him. He also worried about Liu Heng's true capabilities—whether he would be a good emperor or one who would exhaust the empire through endless warfare.

Upon arriving at Lin Hua Hall, Zhang Liang and Liu Bang entered while Xiao He and the others remained outside. Before Liu Bang could speak, Lu Xuan voiced a request: "Uncle Ji, Uncle Fang, I feel stifled in this room. How is the weather outside? Is it still cold? If it is convenient, I would like to live in a courtyard where I can move about when I am idle."

Lu Xuan did indeed feel stifled. While the room had no foul odors, his living space was limited. He spent his days either lying down or sitting, and he felt his body stiffening from a lack of movement, which was unhealthy.

This request caught Liu Bang and Zhang Liang off guard. There were many courtyards in Chang'an, but none were truly secure. They were not worried that someone would harm Lu Xuan—this was the capital, and no one would dare—but they feared others might come into contact with him. If someone with ulterior motives learned of the future, it could spark chaos.

"There is a courtyard, but it is cluttered with debris. It will take two or three days to clear," Liu Bang said, taking charge of the matter himself. He felt a deep sense of indebtedness to Lu Xuan and believed that arranging a clean, spacious courtyard was the least he could do. However, it had to be done secretly, isolating the area from the outside world, preferably behind Lin Hua Hall, to ensure it remained quiet and hidden from the other ministers. It was not a difficult task; he could have it prepared in a few days.

"Thank you, Uncle Ji. You are all so good to me," Lu Xuan felt a warmth in his heart. Good people existed in both ancient and modern times. He silently calculated the time; in about two months, he would be able to see the light again. By then, Zhu Yuanzhang would likely have sent people to retrieve him. He would surely repay Uncle Ji and the others well!

"What is there to thank us for? There is no need for such formalities between us," Liu Bang said, sitting kindly on the edge of Lu Xuan’s bed and signaling for Zhang Liang to ask his question.

Zhang Liang carefully phrased his words, ensuring there would be no slip-ups and that the question would not seem deliberate. "Master Lu, if a high-ranking official who has rendered great service to the court commits a capital crime, how should the Emperor ensure his preservation?"

He asked this intentionally to prevent Lu Xuan from knowing the current state of the court. Lu Xuan might suspect they were referring to Han Xin, but Han Xin had not yet committed a crime. This served to confuse Lu Xuan’s assumptions, allowing him to provide the most impartial advice without personal bias or knowledge of the specific situation, thereby keeping Lu Xuan in the dark about the current state of the Han Dynasty and maintaining the necessary precautions.

Lu Xuan pondered the question at length. A high-ranking official with great merit committing a capital crime—this was common during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty. Hu Weiyong, Li Shanchang, Lan Yu, and others came to mind.

Hu Weiyong might not have seemed to have rendered great service, but he handled state affairs with great efficiency; one could not say that only those who led armies were meritorious. Following his previous deductions, could this be the case of Li Shanchang? Could it be that Zhu Yuanzhang was feeling soft-hearted and wanted to spare him?

"No, that's not right. Zhu Yuanzhang is ruthless; he wouldn't show mercy. There must be another reason." After a moment of thought, Lu Xuan understood. He thought of an extraordinary figure: the founding hero of the Ming Dynasty, Fu Youde.

It was well known that Fu Youde was a founding noble, but he had originally been a subordinate of Chen Youliang. He had joined various leaders before eventually surrendering to Zhu Yuanzhang, rising through the ranks to become the Marquis of Yingchuan. Yet, in the end, Fu Youde did not meet a good end. In the twenty-seventh year of Hongwu, after the Crown Prince Zhu Biao died and the imperial grandson Zhu Yunwen was still young, Fu Youde was executed because of a marriage alliance with the Prince of Jin that was deemed disadvantageous to the grandson.

Just because of a marriage alliance, a founding hero was executed? In this regard, Zhu Yuanzhang was indeed lacking in human sentiment. Lu Xuan quickly guessed that the hero Uncle Ji was referring to was likely Fu Youde.

Why? Firstly, Fu Youde was originally Chen Youliang's subordinate, and since they were in the Far East, Lu Xuan had previously deduced that Uncle Ji and his companions were likely descendants of Chen Li, the son of Chen Youliang, brought from the Central Plains. This suggested that Uncle Ji and his kin might have had a connection with Fu Youde. Furthermore, he had recently told them that the Crown Prince would die early. If the Crown Prince died and Zhu Yuanzhang passed the throne to the young Zhu Yunwen, would Zhu Yuanzhang not be wary of founding heroes who had marriage ties with the various feudal princes?

Uncle Ji and the others must have realized this and feared that Fu Youde, having ties to the Prince of Jin, would be purged by the Emperor. Because they had a relationship with Fu Youde, they had come to ask how to preserve this "meritorious hero who has committed a capital crime." As for why they claimed he had committed a capital crime when he had not, it was clear that from their perspective, when Zhu Yuanzhang eventually moved against Fu Youde, he would certainly concoct a charge.

Having sorted this out, Lu Xuan felt it was a difficult situation. It was hard to save someone Zhu Yuanzhang wanted dead. However, once he reached the capital, the Crown Prince would not die early, so was there any need to worry about this in advance?

"I recall he should have a medal of immunity from death, right?" Lu Xuan thought for a moment and said, "The Emperor shouldn't execute him so early. If he has a medal of immunity, there is no need to be overly anxious. Once I reach the capital, such things will naturally not come to pass."